High School Cleaning Up Routine

[SparkleSpankies]

As a coaching staff for some reason my varsity does not think it matters to be clean, they clean one thing and then they let everything else slide. If I call someone or a group out it's either immediate tears on command or an excuse. Example, Suzie, you are in the wrong spot, you should be in line with Jenny and on the line on the mats. Suzie bawls her eyes out or tells me that her something was something and it was an accident, but then each time Suzie is in the wrong spot. Any advice?

Things we do:

After a competition, we take the video and critique and point out where formations are off, where timing is off, where they are not walking clean, where they need to be sharper and snap the motions, etc. We started naming specific people and and groups because they asked and everyone thinks they are right and showing them exactly where the issue was. Then after they review it themselves, we watch before practice and then make the adjustments during.

We also have gone through it and have stopped music when we see someone not doing the clean up items we jump or run a lap and then start over.

We have showed them that their scores are low and we could be placing better if this is cleaned up. We explain its free points (teenager terms). They get upset b/c they do not do as well as they should.

They say they want to be as clean as these other teams and they know if they are clean they are better, but it's not absorbing.

Ideas welcome :-)

 

[Jordie]

Even though, I'm not a coach, and I'm only a cheerleader on an All-Star team, this probably annoys me as much as you do! lol. I suggest being a little more strict when they make excuses. & Let them know that they make that same mistake all the time. My coach is strict enough to where people aren't making excuses left and right anymore. People rarely make excuses on our team anymore. Have a 10 minute meeting at the 1st half of practice telling them that we're stepping things up. No more tears (unless serious physical pain is involved, of course.) and no more excuses. Tell them that they will be clean no matter what. If they don't make the effort they will never be as good as they want to be. If they aren't clean make them do jump squats.

I hope this response was useful. I noticed this worked judging by my coaches methods.

 

[Goosepatrick]

For every behavior there is a perceived positive outcome. Key word..perceived. Every person has behaviors that they believe will get them what they want. As you describe their behavior, I would assume they haven't seen the positive outcome of the behavior of being clean and tight. Making them run only wastes your time and theirs. As well as, running should be perceived as positive and using as a punishment puts a negative view on it.

You might show them a video of the teams that win and then their routine. Have them identify where the other team is better. Not you...them...they need to be able to see it and feel it. Let them be accountable to each other. Healthy teams of any kind start with trust. Ensure they trust each other. Ensure they trust you. From there you can allow them to create healthy conflict, disagreements in what needs to be fixed. They can't have conflict if they don't have trust. Work with them to develop their commitment. What do they want? How do they see how they can accomplish what they want? From there they can hold each other accountable for each others role in meeting the commitment, ultimately reaching the results you and they have decided they want.

They need to want it. You can guide them, but you can't make them, nor should you take responsibility where your responsibility doesn't lie, which is being clean...that is their responsibility. :)

 

[SparkleSpankies]

Actually, they loved the exercises we did with extra running and jumps. It made a difference and they really have been more cautious of counts, being clean, timing. Honestly it even was "fun" b/c if someone did something and we said run, they would run grunt, giggle and came together and really focused.

Having them watch other teams, they don't see clean, they see a more difficult stunt or a better tumbling pass, they are not trained to know anything else. HOWEVER in the past no one held them accountable for being clean. :-)